


The Letter After The Encounter In The Parlour

by Gnomecat



Category: Pride and Prejudice (1995), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Genre: Happy Ending, Light-Hearted, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 12:26:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12531328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gnomecat/pseuds/Gnomecat
Summary: This story was completely inspired by ‘The One Where Colonel Forster Took Another Cup of Coffee by Laure001’ (See notes).Five days after Elizabeth and Mr Darcy’s encounter in the parlour of the Inn in Lambton, Elizabeth receives a letter….This is my version of what could happen next.





	The Letter After The Encounter In The Parlour

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place after the events of Chapter 4 (Lizzy receives the letter and talks to her father) in ‘The One Where Colonel Forster Took Another Cup of Coffee by Laure001’. Here is the link to Laure's story.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/12091680/chapters/27407370  
>  
> 
> I have never written, or even thought about writing, any Pride and Prejudice fic before but after reading Laure’s wonderful story I was completely inspired and excitedly writing down ideas for what I would like to see happen next. I wrote it for fun but Laure is encouraging about collaborations so I decided to post it. Thanks Laure- for your fics, your encouragement and your inspiration! :-)

Elizabeth hugged the letter from Mr Darcy tightly to her chest as she walked down the corridor leading away from her father’s study. She felt completely and utterly flustered. Her face was flushed, her heartbeat fast, and her mind was racing.

 

It had been five days since Mr Darcy had taken her into his arms and kissed her in the small parlour of the little Inn in Lambton, and she had been able to think of little else since then. Conflicting thoughts waged a daily war in her mind. Pleasure mixed in with guilt. Hope mixed in with fear. Excitement mixed in with doubt. But above all there was a sense of longing to see him again. There wasn’t a counter for that feeling. She had never felt this way before and it was exhilarating but a little scary at the same time.

She had not breathed a word about the incident to anyone and this added to her general sense of wretchedness. She had been desperate to confide in Jane since the moment after it had happened, and now after the conversation with her father she was longing even more to hear a female point of view. However it had not seemed appropriate to talk about her happiness without first finding out how Jane was feeling and in the two days she had been back at Longbourn there had not been enough time to do justice to this.

Although she wished she could have Jane by her side she was resigned to reading the letter on her own. But finding a private place in such a chaotic household was possibly easier said than done. Her first instinct was to head outside to the small grove of trees overlooking the pond, her favourite place to sit and think, but a glance out the window showed Kitty and Lydia making daisy chains on the lawn and she knew that once they spotted her she would have no peace.

 

 

After a brief pause she walked into the main entrance hall and found their housekeeper Mrs Hill arranging flowers from the garden into a small display. “Hill, where is my mother?” 

“She is in the front sitting room Miss Elizabeth. With Miss Bennet.”

She didn’t need to ask where Mary was. She could hear the clunking sounds of the piano all the way from its location in the far end of the house.

“Thank you.” Heart pounding she headed directly for the staircase and closed the door to her bedroom behind her. She crossed the room to the window seat and sat there for a moment, watching from above as Lydia and Kitty placed the flower chains in their hair and twirled around in circles on the grass. She could hear their laughter through the window and her own excitement was such that she almost started laughing herself.

 

 

When she was ready she ran her fingers over her name on the front of the envelope, tracing the loops and the flourish of the final t with her fingertips. It was written in a very elegant script and the envelope had a pleasing weight to it.

She realised her hands were trembling and she had to put the letter down in her lap while she composed herself again. _Calm down Elizabeth_ , she told herself, it’s just a letter. But even the mere thought about what its contents might reveal caused her heart to flutter somewhat uncontrollably.

 

When she did break the seal it revealed three sheets of paper, each covered on both sides with the same fine handwriting. Her first thought, before she had focused on any of the words, was that he had clearly taken a lot of time and care in writing this letter. The neatness suggested a sense of calm and this simple realisation caused an unexpected a stab of disappointment. The image in her mind of Mr Darcy leaning against the fireplace with a relaxed and joyful expression on his face was suddenly replaced by the stiff stern uncompromising figure she had seen so many times before at social events.

Also gone was the image of him writing this letter in a fit of passion, hands running through his hair and words flowing through his head as he raced to get them written down on the page in front of him. Instead she began to picture him sat at his writing desk with a thesaurus, trying to find the most appropriate word for his emotions.

This lead on to an even worse thought. A reminder of the other letter she had received from him several months before, and also of the events that had taken place before that. For the first time she began to doubt what this letter may contain. She had been assuming it was a love letter, what if it was a letter of rejection?

 

 

That thought was so ridiculous she couldn’t help but laugh at herself and it helped to calm her down a little. After another deep breath she moved the letter closer to her face and began to read it. Five days had passed since their encounter. The letter was dated from the day after.

 

Her eyes moved to the first line. _‘My dear Miss Bennet. Elizabeth. It has been 24 hours since I saw you last and my mind will not let me forget even one detail of those few moments we shared together._ ’

A wave of relief washed over her. She had not forgotten either. The feeling when he kissed her was still crystal clear in her mind. The soft touch of his lips on hers and the warmth of his body contrasting completely with the cold feeling of the stone fireplace behind her back. The feeling of his hands as they touched her face, and the sensation on her fingertips when she moved her hands on him in return. How tightly he had held her to him and how tightly she had held him back.

Her cheeks flushed as she recalled how fast her heart was beating in that moment and how, even though the rational part of her brain was telling her to stop, all she had wanted to do was press even closer to him and kiss him back for as long as time would allow it.

 

 

A sudden noise on the stairs broke her from her reverie and she looked up in time to see Lydia and Kitty burst through the bedroom door.

“Lizzy! Lizzy! Kitty dropped my favourite yellow shawl in the mud and it is quite ruined!”

“It was an accident. The wind took it from my fingers!” Kitty crossed her arms defensively.

“You dropped it on purpose!”

“I did not!”

“Did too!”

“Kitty, Lydia. Please. Lydia. I’m sure it was an accident.”

“But Lizzy, now I have nothing to wear to our aunt’s supper party tomorrow night. You simply must let me try your new blue dress or else I do not know what I will do!”

 

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. That dress was a gift from her aunt, and it had caught Lydia’s attention the moment it had been unpacked from the suitcase. She wouldn’t be surprised if Lydia had manipulated a way to sabotage the yellow shawl on purpose.

Lydia was going to be disappointed though. She loved the dress too and wanted to wear it when she saw Mr Darcy next. No amount of begging or pleading, which she was sure was coming, could convince her any other way.

“I’m sorry Lydia. I have plans to wear it myself.”

“I think you are being very selfish! Our aunt gave you many different presents but she only had one for me.” Lydia stamped her foot.

“Lizzy, why are you blushing? Your face is quite red. What are you reading?” Kitty took a curious step forward.

“Yes it is! What are you reading?” Lydia stepped forward too, her tantrum seemingly forgotten in an instant.

Elizabeth folded the letter and placed it in her lap, concealing it with her hands. “It is a letter from… from… our aunt Gardiner.”

“Oh! Read it out loud. What news does she bring from London?” Lydia bounced down on the bed and Kitty sat next to her. “I do love to hear news of the latest fashions.”

“I didn’t ask her about that.” Elizabeth thought hard. “I asked her to write with details about our uncle’s business. I’m afraid you would find that quite tiresome.”

“Oh!” Lydia jumped to her feet again and Elizabeth unconsciously clutched the letter even tighter. Lydia’s eyes narrowed slightly. “In that case I don’t need to hear it. Come along Kitty. I’m hungry.”

Her sisters dashed from the room and slammed the door with such a force that the whole house shook and disturbed several crows from the roof. Elizabeth watched as sprinkles of dust floated down from the ceiling and sighed. Silence again.

 

 

She carefully unfolded the letter and slowly read the next few paragraphs. Thesaurus or not, and she supposed not, Mr Darcy had quite a way with words and he was surprisingly expressive about his feelings and hopes for the future. Any doubt as to whether this was a love letter or not was instantly forgotten. Indeed, any doubt as to the passion behind his thoughts was also immediately discarded. As she looked more closely at the page she could now detect small wobbles in the letters and a slight unevenness of the lines suggesting that he was not as calm when he wrote this letter as she first imagined.

It seemed the kiss had had a similar effect on Mr Darcy as it had herself and this realisation helped to calm her thoughts a little. She noted that he took pains to not mention the actual kiss in so many words, perhaps afraid that her father might read the letter, but he spent several paragraphs describing his beating heart and the fluttering feeling in his chest when he thought about her. And it seemed in the 24 hours which had passed since their encounter he had thought about her very often indeed. _“You appeared in my dreams last night. I was very disappointed to wake up again.”_ She blushed again upon reading this.

_“How I wish you could have extended your stay in Derbyshire. The wildflower meadows at Pemberley are very fine at this time of year and I would have delighted in picking the best examples to be made into an arrangement for you.”_ Here she stopped reading and imagined them walking hand in hand through a field of flowers with bees buzzing around them and birds soaring above her head into clear blue skies.  

 _“We also have some of the finest woods in the country which we may get lost in…”_ Again her mind wandered to them running and laughing through the woods, hiding behind the trees and jumping out and surprising the other.

 _“I’m sure the ducks and ducklings on the pond would amuse you and we have a fine family of swans living on the great lake.”_ At this sentence her mind took another slight detour. The weather was hot in her daydream and Mr Darcy dived into the lake to cool down. She bit her lip as she imagined the sight she might be treated to when he emerged. Dripping wet hair, white shirt….. It was quite a distracting thought.

 

After a few more paragraphs, the letter concluded with a slightly more calm tone. She detected another small change in his handwriting suggesting he had written the final part at a later time to the rest.   _“You will be interested to know I have talked to our mutual friend Mr Bingley and he is planning on returning to Netherfield at his earliest convenience. I hope to join him there in a few days and it is my greatest wish to visit you as often as you will allow it. He plans to hold a ball and, although I believe you know my aversion to dancing, nevertheless please allow me to request the pleasure of your hand for the first two dances.”_

Elizabeth smiled in delight and this time allowed her mind to wander to a vision of the two of them hand in hand on the dance floor, moving together with perfect timing. She remembered all too well his view on dancing and it meant a lot that he would be willing to do that. For her.

 

It took her a few moments more before she realised the other significance of his words: that Mr Bingley would be back in town. As she was thinking about the wider implications of this, a knock at the door disturbed the peace again.

“Miss Elizabeth. Your mother requests your presence in the sitting room.”

“Thank you” She reluctantly folded the letter once more and placed it carefully in the small wooden box on her bedside table.

 

She could hear her mother’s voice as she walked down the stairs. It was high pitched and excited, not uncommon at all, but this time even more so than usual. She wondered if news about Mr Bingley had reached her ears already.

“Elizabeth!” Her mother exclaimed as soon as she walked in the door. “What news! You will never guess. Tell her Jane!”

Jane was holding a letter in her hands. Her face was calm but Elizabeth could recognise the excitement in her eyes.

“Oh Jane! Tell her!” Their mother could not contain herself a moment longer. “It is a letter from Mr Bingley! He wrote to your father to say he is returning to Netherfield and he invites us to a ball he is throwing for his arrival! What do you think of that?”

“That is very good news.” Elizabeth smiled.

Elizabeth and Jane smiled at each other as their mother flapped around the room in excited anxiety.

“Oh my dear girls. My nerves. I will never recover!”

“Mama, please calm down.” But their mother was having none of it. After several more minutes of hysterics she left the room to ask their father about the possibility of purchasing new dresses and accessories.

“Mr Bennet! Mr Bennet!” her cries echoed down the corridor.

 

 

“This is very good news indeed. What does the letter say?” Elizabeth sat down next to Jane and placed a hand over hers.

“Oh, it is just a short note. He merely states he is returning to Netherfield, invites us to the ball and expresses his interest in seeing all our neighbours again.”

Elizabeth took the letter and couldn’t help but smile at the messy scrawl on the page. Bingley’s handwriting was as carefree as his manner. “Even so, he mentions your name first of all. I believe he is very eager to see you again.”

“Do you really think that? I do hope so.” Jane looked down at her lap again. “I would very much like to see him again. But Lizzy, Papa told me that you received a letter today too. From Mr Darcy.”

 

 

Elizabeth thought carefully about what she wanted to say next. This was an opening. The arrival of the letter and the hopeful news about Mr Bingley had created the perfect opportunity to confide in Jane. Everything was almost too good to be true and her heart was bursting with happiness.

She turned to face Jane. “I did receive a letter. Oh Jane- I feel terrible. Please do not be angry at me, but I did not tell you the whole truth about our meeting in Derbyshire. Allow me to make it up to you by sharing the letter with you.”

“I could never be angry with you and now I am very curious. What have you been hiding?”

“Come with me.” Elizabeth grabbed Jane’s hand and they ran upstairs to the bedroom. She stopped instantly and froze in panic when she saw that the box was open and the letter was missing. A shriek of giggles from the next room confirmed her fears.

 

“Lydia!” She flew into the next bedroom, with Jane at her heels, to find Lydia and Kitty holding the letter between them and reading it intently.

“Oh Lizzy. This is so romantic.” Kitty swooned, holding her hand to her chest. “How I would love a man to write such a letter to me.”

Lydia snorted. “Well, if Papa had not ordered me back from Brighton quite so soon I’m sure I would have received twenty such letters from men even more handsome than Mr Darcy.”

Kitty rolled her eyes. “I wish you had, if only because your head would become so big you would not fit any of your bonnets and you would have no choice but to give them all to me!”

“I would rather cut them all up than see them on your ugly head!” Lydia retorted back.

“Give the letter to me!” Elizabeth took advantage of their squabble and grabbed the letter from them.

“Lizzy, before you say anything to us, let us explain…we had good intentions...” Kitty’s voice faded and she looked to Lydia. The two girls nudged each other before Kitty spoke again.

“We thought your letter might be from Mr Wickham…. We wanted to….”

“Mr Wickham?! Why ever would you think that?”

“We know he was quite the favourite of yours before you left and we wanted to warn you. For you see, while you were in Derbyshire news reached us of his behaviour in Brighton which proved him to be quite the scoundrel. It appears he had everyone quite deceived.”  Kitty’s voice was high and excited. Elizabeth couldn’t help but notice that Lydia was looking to the floor with a sour expression on her face.

 She immediately looked to Jane for a sensible answer. “What happened?”

“We are not sure.” Jane put her hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “All we have heard is that Colonel Forster happened to intercept a letter between Mr Wickham and an unknown young lady. This stroke of luck enabled him to react in time to put a stop to Wickham’s scheme before any damage could be done.”

“Who was the young lady?” Elizabeth persisted.

“It is all very secretive. Father ordered me back from Brighton immediately when he heard the news. I have no clue who the girl is. I have appealed to Mrs Forster directly but she would not tell me. It is very vexing.” Lydia finally spoke up.

 

The new revelations added to the confusion in her head and Elizabeth thought hard before speaking again. “Let me assure you it has been a while since I thought about Mr Wickham.”

 “Good riddance.” Lydia crossed her arms. “Let us all not think a minute more about that man.”

“I thank you for your concern, however I wish you had talked to me and not taken my letter.”

“We are very sorry. But do tell us what happened to have caused Mr Darcy to write such a letter.” Kitty pleaded. “Please do. Who would have thought Mr Darcy, Mr Darcy!, could have written something so lovely to you.”

 

After her initial panic, Elizabeth’s brain slowly began to clear. The letter was very personal but at least the most scandalous details were omitted. She decided to appease her younger sisters’ curiosity by telling a more muted version of the story before revealing the full story to Jane in private.

Trying to remain calm she relayed a simple version of the story.

“I met Mr Darcy while I was in Derbyshire. Through conversation we found we have many things in common and struck up a renewed acquaintance. We became friends and he was quite disappointed when I had to leave.”

“What happened when you told him you were returning home? Do tell us!” Kitty was bouncing on the spot. Lydia was trying her best to look bored, but failing miserably.

Elizabeth smiled, her anger fading slightly with her sister’s enthusiasm. “I told him… I told him we would be honoured to receive him at Longbourn. He touched my arm and… took my hand in his…. and we looked into each other’s eyes… and then we took leave of each other.”

Kitty sighed in happiness but Lydia shook her head. “There is something you are not telling us. Come on. We are all sisters here. You can trust us.”

Elizabeth bit her lip. Her sisters’ excitement was contagious and against her better judgement she decided to reveal more. “You are right. There was more…. He placed one hand on my cheek, looked into my eyes intently…. and used his other hand to take my hand to his lips and kiss it.”

Jane gasped in delight and put her hand to her mouth, Kitty gave a small shriek and threw herself backwards on the bed. Even Lydia smiled. “Who would have thought it! Mr Darcy!” There was a look of wonder on her face.

“Did he ask for your hand? Are you engaged?” Kitty looked very excited.

“He…. “ Elizabeth struggled for words. “We did discuss it…”

Her next words were drowned out by excited noises from all three sisters.

“Wait… wait…” Elizabeth pleaded for silence. “I wasn’t ready. We had only just been re-acquainted. You all know what I used to think about him and I was still getting used to… to… liking him. I told him we should spend more time getting to know each other before I agreed to any such arrangement.”

“How very bold of you.” Lydia sat up straighter and suddenly looked very impressed.

“Please can I urge you for your discreteness on this matter? Can I trust that you will not reveal this to anyone else? And that includes our mother. This letter was very private and Mr Darcy is a private man.”

“Of course. We will not breathe a word of it. I’m very sorry we read it.” Kitty nodded very solemnly.

“And you Lydia?”

“Lydia will not talk, because if she does I will tell everyone what happened during our visit to Meryton yesterday…” Kitty leaned over and whispered something in Lydia’s ear which made her eyes widen.

“You are very cruel to me.” Lydia crossed her arms and pouted. “I would not tell a soul. As I said, we are sisters. You can trust me.”

“Thank you Lydia. But do not let me catch you reading my letters again.”

“We will be more careful next time.” Lydia stuck out her tongue and Elizabeth shook her head in despair as she left the room.

 

Jane followed Elizabeth back to their bedroom and they sat on the bed.

“The story about Mr Wickham? Is it really true? Did Colonel Forster stop his behaviour in time? I would not be able to live with the guilt if…”

“He did. Do not worry.”

“And Lydia, do you think she was involved?”

“Involved? Oh no! Why do you think that? I was there when she wrote the letter to Mrs Forster and I was there when she received the reply. I do not believe Lydia knows any more than us!”

Elizabeth shook her head and recalled the look on Lydia’s face. She silently resolved to speak to their father.

 

“Now let’s not talk about that man anymore and instead talk about a different and much more favourable man. I’m so happy for you!” Jane was beaming in delight.

“Please, before you say any more, read the letter and tell me what you think.” Elizabeth handed the letter to Jane and watched her face intently as she read it.

“It is a beautiful letter.” Jane handed it back to her. “Are you going to write back to him?”

“Yes I am. Father gave me permission to do so. But I… I…..I need to tell you more. The story I told Lydia and Kitty was true, but not the whole truth. Something else happened when we said goodbye.”

“Something else?” Jane’s eyes widened and she waited expectantly as Elizabeth tried to think about how to explain what happened. In the end her thoughts came out in a rush.

“We kissed. He kissed me. Not on the hand or even on the cheek. On the lips.”

She felt her face turn red. She was almost too scared to look at Jane and see her reaction so she studied her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers together.

Jane said nothing and she still didn’t dare look up.

“There is more. I encouraged him. Before the… before…. it…. happened.  He was about to leave without doing or saying anything. No words of goodbye. I was upset and I stopped him. I made excuses. I called him back. And that was when it happened. Oh Jane. Please say something. Do not think badly of me.”

She was still looking down and saw Jane’s hand move into her lap and take one of her hands in her own.

“I could never think badly of you. Do not even think that. Tell me. Do you regret what happened?”

Elizabeth paused to think carefully and decided on the truth. “No I do not. I do not regret any of it. But I know what it must look like to other people. Father was quite upset with me. He was doubtful of Mr Darcy’s intentions. But he is a good man, I know it.”

“I’m sure father was just being protective. He did not read the letter?”

“No he did not.”

“Well I’m very happy for you. This letter shows how much affection Mr Darcy has for you. How much respect he has. It is a wonderful letter and he sounds like a wonderful man. And I believe you have affection for him too.”

“I do. I really do. I think I… I think I may be in love with him.”

At this Jane threw her arms around Elizabeth. “Oh Lizzy! I see nothing wrong with what happened between you. It was a moment between two people in love and should not be judged. However I feel I would be a bad sister if I did not urge you to be more discreet in social situations.”

“Your advice is very sensible and I will certainly heed it. Our behaviour when we next meet will be perfectly proper and respectable.” Elizabeth smiled in relief and delight. “I’m very glad you are so supportive of me, but I’m also a little shocked. I would not have supposed you to be so open minded.” She squeezed Jane’s hand.

Jane smiled. “Perhaps one day I will confide to you some of the thoughts I have had about Mr Bingley. Then you will wonder some more.”

“I'm wondering now. Tell me more!”

“Well….” Jane flushed. “For example, I have noticed he has very strong arms and large hands…  I like to imagine him holding me…”

“Jane!” Elizabeth burst out laughing. “We must stop for we are beginning to sound like Lydia and Kitty!” Jane was laughing too.

 

 

“Jane. Oh Jane! Where are you?” Their mother’s loud voice rang out throughout the house, interrupting their moment. “Jane!”

“I must go. But we shall resume this conversation later. I want to hear more details.”

“You shall.” Elizabeth smiled. “And I want to hear more from you about Mr Bingley!”

 

 

Elizabeth stood for a moment in the middle of the room after Jane had left. Her thoughts preoccupied with the surprising news about Mr Wickham. Lydia’s reaction had troubled her. Could it be that Lydia was the girl in question? If she was, was she aware of it?

It was an uncomfortable thought when she considered her own behaviour with Mr Darcy and compared it to behaviour she had observed in Lydia. She had always been very critical of her youngest sister and she had perhaps not dealt with it in the best way. That Lydia needed to tame her ways was certain, but it occurred to her that she should stop censuring her and spend more time offering advice and guidance instead.

She was sure that Lydia's reaction suggested some sort of attachment may have formed between the two of them in Brighton. If her sister had been aware of Mr Wickham's scheme then she needed her counsel. If she was unaware, and from Jane’s words it seemed she was, then she would need her support. She made up her mind right then to talk to both her sister and her father, find the truth of the matter and do her best to help her sister.

 

 

But all of that could wait for a few more hours. First of all she wanted to focus on herself. She had a letter to write. She went straight to the window seat and re-read the letter from start to finish. This time imagining Mr Darcy was sitting right next to her. Leaning into her, stroking her hair away from her face, and kissing her once more.

She folded the letter and attempted to return it to the envelope but something seemed to be stopping it. She shook out the envelope and an object fluttered out onto the floor. She picked it up carefully, smiling as she realised what it was. It was a red heart, cut from a piece of fine red fabric. She sighed, held the heart to her chest and then kissed it gently while imagining Mr Darcy doing the very same thing. She tucked the heart into her sleeve and made her way downstairs to collect some paper and a pen. Mr Darcy thought he could impress her with a romantic letter could he? Well, two could play at that game. She had several words in mind already to tease him with, some of them with four syllables or more.


End file.
